Sol Varadero Beach 16 Plus

It was good and disappointing at the same time. [Details]

95% of the staff seem to legitimately like being there. Rooms were suitable and sufficient for how much time we actually spent in it. Shower was extra spacious and plenty of room for two. Food was better than I was expecting (Set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised if they surpass it). Drinks….nothing bad about those. Beach- phenomenal. Weather- above 22C up to 29C daily. Had a couple of shitty days, but it is Cuba's winter.

All in all, great experience and will go back.

If going on excursions…make sure that you know if the extra activities cost extra…some are included, but most aren't. [Details]

We thoroughly enjoyed this resort. Best part, the people. So kind, compassionate, friendly and genuine. They work very hard to continue to make your experience the best it can be. [Details]

Check in/Out was quick and friendly. Wanted to change my room and without hesitation, the following morning a new room was given to me. The one thing that stood out the most for me was the attention to detail al over the hotel. Made total sense when I confirmed that it was 2 women who were basically running the show...When you see management actually walking around the hotel fixing Chairs and fluffing cushions, and ensuring guests are safe from slippery tiles by the pool bar, or leftover cups and plates are taken away, you realize this is a hotel that's interested in not onky making but keeping your experience Sage, clean and a joy, so much so, you want to return...I found the good to be amazing particularly because I know they are facing shortages ..I barely drank, but when I did, the drinks were great...Entertainment was on point, and ALL staff were engaging and pleasant...I WOULD ABSOLUTELY RETURN...BEACH IS ALWAYS AMAZING as per usual... [Details]

Where can we start? From July 4 till July 11, 2023. My husband and I chose a short getaway.

Beautiful hotel, amazing people always ready to help and the ocean and sun is simply stunning! The minute we entered the hotel we knew we wouldn't have a problem. Check-in went quick and the free WiFi was nice. You get an access code and this code once logged into the WiFi gives you 10 hours of internet surfing. When the 10 hours run out, you simply go to the reception desk and they gladly reactivate the same code each time. The Wifi is good everywhere around the hotel even the beach. Getting to our room, so beautiful, we asked for a garden view as it is much quieter. Every night there is entertainment, each night is different with different people. The shows and music all end at 11:00pm or before, so there is never a noise issue. Thus, our review is as follows:

1- beach and ocean, stunning.
2- food, drinks and wine, never an issue. Yes, the food can get repetitive, but this is Cuba and NOT home. Yes, they are missing condiments, please do not complain. We all are aware of this, so next time you decide to go to Cuba just bring your condiments! You can leave the extra condiments and the people of Cuba will love you for . If you can't go away because you're missing ketchup, do yourself a favor and stay home! Next time visiting Cuba, don't forget to bring gifts. The Cuban people don't ask for much, anything you bring or leave them is so appreciated. They always had a smile and a thank you!

3- our room 2114 was garden view and quiet, as we asked for with our travel agent.

4- the people that were and will be the most memorable to us are:

1- Almudena, (GM) she was always kind and ready to hear from us.
2- Yardiel, at the 24/7 coffee and snack bar (friendly and honest).
3- Miligros, our chambermaid, always ready to give us what we needed.
4- Dahymara, the one that always says "si mi amore"!
5- Kirenia, our waitress that was always ready to help us get what we wanted at the buffet.
6- Sahily, our coffee lady that knew exactly how we liked our coffee each time we got to the buffet room. No matter who we dealt with they were all truly amazing but hard to keep track of everyone's names.
7- the pool is very shallow but always kept clean & games in the afternoon.
8- not far from downtown, as we are both walkers, we did the walk 2 times on our 1 week vacation.
9- we ate Langostine at La Rampa in the downtown area and Italian food at Nonna Tina. Both restaurants are very good and would definitely go back again.
10- no mosquitoes or bugs, just about every day they spray for bugs so we can enjoy the outdoors
11- there are a few dogs around which the hotel has tried to deal with but as long as the tourists keep feeding them the dogs stick around. People need to STOP feeding the dogs. We saw someone walking along the beach eating something and 1 of the dogs got aggressive. These dogs are so used to being fed by the vacationers that if they see food in your hands, they start to bark. Nothing bad has ever happened, but it can get scary. So STOP feeding the dogs!!!!!

The specially restaurants we tried were "Mexican and Peruvian", both very good.

We are writing this review 2 days after we got back and are already thinking of returning. The question is when? We'd like to be there every 3 or 4 months but reality kicks in and tells us it's not possible. Not just because of the cost of the all-inclusive but because we go with lots of gifts. Our luggages upon leaving Montreal were both at 23 kilos, but coming back home, my luggage was 14 kilos and my husband's was 12 kilos. Don't forget the gardeners. They work on the grass and plants outdoors most of the day. We brought caps, work gloves, bug spray, tanning lotion and t-shirts. It's not hard to wash your clothing in good shape from home and spread it out amongst the workers. We loved our stay, love the people with their happy smiles and trying to keep everyone happy isn't always an easy thing. Remember that on vacation these Cuban people we call our friends are very busy keeping everyone happy, be patient! [Details]

The hotel was really nice, booked the Superior room and stayed in the renovated rooms, too bad I didn't have an ocean view but it was beautiful. I had WiFi in my room and on my balcony, unheard of. The food was definitely not lacking, breakfast was great, lunch was amazing, ate at the Grill open area and the mangos, amazing.

The staff so friendly and warm, always smiling, ready to serve, they are beautiful people and the reason why I keep going back to Cuba. And of course let's not forget the beach, oh that beach, can't get enough of it, I force myself to leave at the end of the day. I am absolutely going back in mid October.
This hotel is a 4 star in my opinion. [Details]

Beautiful property. Nice accommodations but terrible service. Staff very unfriendly. Seemed to not want to help. Felt ignored. Food shortages were annoying but I made do with availability [Details]

First impression was fantastic.
Rooms were renovated with paint, large rooms nice shower, my Supervisor room for the price I payed was really not acceptable, VIEW was the back of the restaurant where as most the regular rooms had a great view.
Been to Veradero many time and feel MANY of the staff here are none friendly or don't want to ingage in conversation, very strange.
Pool and Beach are lovely.
Your specialty restaurant, service was terrible, which ruines everything....Buffet service was wonderful.
Would I go back for the price I payed, NO. [Details]

Second time here [Details]

Hôtel is pretty nice, but price is to much for this trip. Hôtel is close to Varadero city about 10 minutes by taxi. Cuba is short on a lot of items like butter, salt, ketchup, mustard and other items. Food at Hôtel is not the greatest at buffet bascially the same stuff. Also to have a hot shower you have to let the water run before you can get hot water. [Details]

Great beach, small resort, lots of palapas. The food was decent considering the shortages in Cuba. The staff was welcoming. The rooms were not sound proof. This will be an issue with early sleepers as the main bar and stage is in the middle of the complex. [Details]

We are frequent travellers all over the Caribbean and of course we visited on many occasions in different provinces of beautiful Cuba. 13 times.

We very recently stayed at the SOL Varadero Beach resort for 14 days (February 2 thru February 16 2023).

We were totally disappointed on the food and bar services, in fact, this has been the worse experience in our past 22 years of travelling.
Judging from other guests present during our stay the consensus was that the food selection was bad and extremely repetitive. Pretty much the same for lunch and dinner. Unless your are vegan and thriving on bean salads and cabbage with unsuspected ingredients you would find yourself walking around the buffet with a near empty plate. The hot dishes were most of the time served cold and other items such as cold cuts and cheeses served above safe temperature.
We have never seen a resort that does not serve fish and seafood at the buffet at least occasionally but even worse, no pasta bar.
So in short we were doomed to eat eggplant and pumpkins in countless dishes as well as chicken or pork both often served dried up from being too long on appliances or grill)for the full 14 days of our vacation.
The a la carte restaurants with no exeptions are a joke!!!
Beside never running out of rums, the bar selection was also the worse we have seen with many shortages of different types of popular alcohols, bars are limited to just a few types of mixed drinks using mixers that does not come close to the cocktail recipe. Even the mojitos were off.

We were disappointed, so were countless of other guests and we all felt the same, we will never go back to this resort and we will also share our bad experience with as many people as we can.
They run a business, they should be more concerned about the customer's satisfaction and pay attention to details. I feel sorry for the staff.
Walking on the Varadero beach I could exchange with guests from other resorts and was not surprised to here that we were the unlucky ones. It does indicate that the Sol Varadero Beach was the only resort cheaping out on the supplies, it is shameful to think that they might be doing this to save money, the resort rate was not the cheapest on the strip but we chose it nonetheless, lesson learned. [Details]

Customer service at the resort (Yolanda) was very happy and willing to resolve any concerns or issues. All staff is friendly and never giving a second though to help - chamber maids, bartends, cleaners - was great. The resort cleanliness was GREAT! The food was very good quality - preparred correctly. Over all, all staff were 110% topnotch. Lizet, reservation specialist, was great in organization the reservations for the 4 resturants. Having a disability, my scooter had to go over many bumps, thus also a trip hazard for elderly ppl - suggest to smooth these out. I could not go on the beach, due to my disability, there were no ammendities. [Details]

This resort is a beautiful, well maintained hotel. The beach, the grounds, the rooms and the staff were all lovely. [Details]

I stayed in Sol Varadero Beach 16 in early October 2022. This was my repeat visit to Cuba, but I have not been in this hotel before.

Hotel was renovated about 2-3 years ago, and the appearance from the outside is relatively modern.

The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms have been renovated to include a shower with glass doors and also a glass window (non-transparent) towards the room. There is an option with the handheld shower as well as the built-in. Occasionally there was no warm water. Sometimes if you waited long enough it would eventually start flowing. Occasionally you could sense the faulty smell in the bathroom , the smell from sewage. usually it would disappear after you start using the water.

I limited my dining experience to the self-service restaurant. You actually do not serve yourself, as a post-Covid process change now you just asked for a certain dish and servers are standing there and adding it to your plate. They serve bottled water in this restaurant, which is great!

You probably know that Cuba is not the best destination choice if you expect great cuisine in the resort. The selection of food was quite limited. I mostly had grilled fish (mahi-mahi) and grilled chicken. Together with yellow rice, yucca, sweet potato.... these meals were very tasty. But they did not have vegetable salads at all, except for cabbage that you would have to have without any vinegar, as, I was told, there was no vinegar in the hotel (or at least not in this restaurant).

Beach has a solid number of umbrellas and chairs, so it was never an issue to find a shade (mind you it was October - hurricane season, and the hotel was running at about 50% capacity or less).

I did go for a massage which was a pure waste of time and money. One hour massage was about 50 USD but it was not a good massage. The massage therapist applied very little pressure and did not ask anything about the areas to be massaged or if more pressure should be applied. I did not go back (although I planned on it).

Hotel has power outlets for 220V, but in the reviews I read it had both, so I did not bring any adapters. When I first got into the room I did not find the 110V plug yet and called the hotel hotline The explicitly told me there is no 110V outlets anywhere in the hotel. Later on I found one outlet in the bathroom, as a part of hairdryer housing, that indicated 110V. I was quite disappointed that hotel personnel did not know that.

My balcony door was not locked when I came in. I tried locking it and noticed that the lock is broken. I asked for help and they told me they would send a technician. The technician never came (I stayed there for 7 days). I ended up using the piece of furniture to press against the sliding balcony door, so no one can open it from the outside.

Lady who cleaned my room was very very kind. There was always clean towels, room was kept in immaculate condition. Cleanliness is definitely at a high level at this hotel!

There was minimal number of mosquitos on the hotel ground, which is particularly important as there is risk of dengue exposure (disease spread by mosquitos) in Cuba.

There is free wi-fi that was working quite well in the room and around the reception. Wi-Fi however does not let you save the log-in name and passcode, so every time you want to use it you have to type in a long user name and passcode generated by the hotel computer (nothing that you could remember) [Details]

J'y étais pendant la tempête tropicale Ian. C'est ma troisième fois à ce ressort et comme toujours, j'ai adoréééé!!!! Le personnel était aux ptits oiseaux!!! J'ai eu une très belle chambre avec vue partiel de la mer et la piscine. Malgré la tempête, le personnel a tout fait pour tenir les voyageurs occupés avec des activités de toute sorte. La plage est merveilleuse, beaucoup de palapas, pas besoin de se lever tôt le matin pour réserver notre chaise de plage. On a manqué de presque rien. Que dire des cocktails.... miam, miam... Surtout les cafés glacés avec liqueur de café!!! Il y avait aussi du Champagne Rosé qui est excellent!!! Pour la bouffe, et oui c'est Cuba mais on trouve toujours de quoi à manger!!!! Ce ressort est très propre, de même que les toilettes publiques dans le Lobby. Je le recommande fortement. Oui je vais y retourner pour une quatrième fois en mars ou Avril 2023. Si vous avez des demandes spéciales, vous pouvez contacter Jennifer, la directrice commerciale du Ressort ou Jorge, son assistant... Ce sont deux personnes très sympatique!!! [Details]

Our stay at Sol Varadero Beach in Cuba was a memorable one. Had a wonderful time. The staff was very friendly. The service was very good, especially our waitress, Sahily. Always greeted with a smile and meeting all our needs. Definitely a hotel that I would go back to. [Details]

I visited this resort in February, 2022. We were put in a room overlooking the parking lot when we first got there. They were very accommodating and moved us to a first floor room in the new part of the resort. They could not do enough for us. The room was very clean and well looked after. The food was good and there was always something to satisfy your appetite. The pool was beautiful and the beach also, although it was quite windy some days, so hard to swim sometimes. Sometimes the wine stock was low,but there was always, always a beverage to be had. The staff would do whatever they could to accommodate you. My first time there, but I would definitely go back. [Details]

Just returned from Sol Veradero What a gem People are AMAZING The staff couldn't do enough for you It's a smaller resort so no long lineups for anything Cuba is not known for their food and the last two years has been hard but they do the best they can The rooms are clean and always fresh bottled water available The beach is the best part So beautiful with lots of activities to keep you busy I loved this little gem [Details]

Jbainoayer beaucoup tris chère à comparer à certaine personne pour le même voyage [Details]

As a first time traveller to Cuba we arrived with no expectations. The resort was clean and the service was incredible. Room was clean and although we were not in one of the “newly” renovated rooms, the bed was comfy and shower had been updated. No complaints with the room.

Food - I am not going to post anything negative regarding the food - we were always able to find something at the buffet - could be repetitive but there were enough choices that there was no reason to eat the same thing every time. The resort did a great job with whatever resources they had and you need to respect that. [Details]

Good time, stayed at hotel 10 years ago when it was Sol Siernas, refurbished quite niceley. Good location, not to far up Varadero, but not too far down, i.e. easy access to plaza America as well as to main downtown near Rum store and Calle 62 dance club. [Details]

The Hotel has been updated . Our room was the sol room. It was updated and super clean room#1266. [Details]

Hotel was very clean and well maintained. Staff and service was amazing. Would definitely go back to this hotel [Details]

I had a wonderful experience at this resort. It was clearly recently renovated. I travelled alone but had such great care and support from the staff who would check in and were genuinely friendly.

The resort was noticeably under capacity so there was only breakfast and lunch buffet with dinner being A La Carte only, alternating between 3 restaurants/styles/selections. This is completely understandable given the current world wide situation.

The night time entertainment quality was good and had the potential to be more fun than it was but due to really low numbers less guests means less engagement, but they did their best with what they could.

I can't speak to the drinks as I did not have much but the few I did have were really good.

Thank you to Ivon and Hugo and the front desk, Liset who took care of the a la carte reservations, Yanetsy, Yumigrey and Vladimir from the buffet, the staff and servers at the a la carte. Special thanks to Sergio the director for guest services who was always checking in with the guests around the resort, and for your help in getting a taxi to the airport when I needed to stay a bit longer than anticipated due to delays. You all made my stay memorable because of your genuine kindness.

I would absolutely return and look forward to seeing it in all its glory in full capacity.

FYI - anyone going should be sure to have the correct currency as CUC's are no longer being used, and the Cuban peso is also not used throughout the country. If you bring cash for tips CAD and Euros are preferred. USD accepted too but likely not as preferred. Most things on the resort such as massage or special dinners can be paid for using a credit card.

Testing is done on the resort daily between 10 and 12 - and it is advised you complete your test 3 days prior even if it is slightly outside the 72 hours as they count by days. [Details]

The power of youth, wisdom, and graciousness is experienced with Adrian, Sergio and Arianna. This powerful combination came into play during a ‘hiccup' in our vacation that was professionally handled with discerning attention by Adrian the General Manager and his team. Adrian is young yet he possesses rare qualities… he listens, comprehends and seeks first to understand the guest. Sergio compliments Adrian's trait with his worldly experience, charismatic way and commitment to following through to ensure that the Sol Varadero Beach's guests stay is the best it can possibly be and there's Arianna whose graciousness and attention to addressing our ‘hiccup' guaranteed our stay was perfect. A professional in every way she brings her experience from a five star luxury Cuba resort to the Sol. Add Carlos, the chef, who presented the best food we have experienced on our many, many trips to Cuba at various Melia resorts and you have a winning combination.

Here's what we experienced:

1. New and fresh - the most comfortable bed we've slept on at any resort.
2. Beach - the best in Varadero.
3. Food, we were very impressed. Please see pics of our New Year's Eve dinner.
4. Service was excellent.
5. Clean, clean, clean.
6. Air conditioner perfect.
7. Hand crafted burgers at the snack bar are tasty.

What do guests expect on a much needed vacation? A good sleep, a great cup of coffee, a smile from the staff, sun and sea, professionally mixed drinks and great food and entertainment.

You'll get this at the Sol Varadero Beach. This was our first stay - Dec 28/21 to Jan 4/22 and we've already booked our next vacation.

Hint: We did bring our own ketchup, mustard and relish and Clamato. [Details]

I had not been to Cuba in over 10 years, the people are still as friendly as I remembered at the hotel and everywhere else as a matter of fact, the beach at Sol Varadero was beautiful, the hotel was very clean, the energy was great, now we had a room right in front of the main pool, that was a big mistake on some nights impossible to sleep early, knowing that the hotel was not a full capacity, they could of given us a better room. The food was fair, we did not get a chance try any of the a la carte restaurants, even if a couple did open during the week we only find out when we saw people eating there, it was the buffet all week, the fruits were very dull and unsweet for the most part, the juices also, the meats were ok. Room was clean, but not sure if it was the AIRAC ventilation system that seems connected in between the rooms, but I think some people smoke in their room, so the air gets distributed in other rooms, so we had to open our patio door regularly to get rid of the smell. Drinks at the bar were very redundant, but overall we had a very good time, we're not picky people, people were friendly for the most part and the entertainers were great, bartenders at the outside bar were very nice, reception was very slow most times for no reasons. [Details]

I have travelled a lot and this was absolutely the best vacation that I've had. Can't wait to go back. There's always something to do…if you like. Can sit and read if you like. Enjoyed having the choices. Food was way better than I had expected. Started every day with stretching and water aerobics on the beach with Grisel and Jaynela. They made me feel so welcome and were smiling every day . Nights can be a bit noisy with entertainment but it's always done at 11.pm so that was acceptable. Great atmosphere . Definitely recommend this place ! [Details]

This resort was brand new and quite small compared to others beside it, but it was absolutely great! The employees were always so nice and helpful, the beach wasn't super packed with people and there weren't lineups everywhere for the buffet and the bar. The only drawback is that there were A LOT of Russians compared to Canadians, and they made the experience a little less enjoyable. They yelled and partied until about 5am and you could hear them clearly from your room. They left 2 days after we arrived and the ambiance was a lot more enjoyable and friendly. Would definitely recommend, and will most likely revisit. [Details]

Plane was delayed 4 hrs. We (4ppl) decided to stay at the hotel instead at the airport and take a taxi later. We had bracelets until 12 am, but Mr. Bighead Sponge Bob, kind of frustrated manager, made a circus (he demanded the participation of security) that we were not "supposed" to be there. We lost 1/2 hr until his own staff at the reception explained the situation. No apologies made, we shall escalate this. [Details]